Assessment of the VP settlement system

Transcription

1 1 Assessment of the VP settlement system against the ESCB/CESR Recommendations for Securities Settlement Systems March 2012

2 2 Contents 1 Introduction Recommendations for securities settlement systems The roles of the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority and Danmarks Nationalbank Structure, delineation and methodology Summary Description of the VP system and the market infrastructure VP Securities A/S The VP system and its participants The securities market and infrastructure Trading systems and reporting to vp Settlement procedure Cash settlement and delivery versus payment Target2-Securities, european legislation and new recommendations Assessment of the VP settlement system according to the 19 Recommendations Recommendation 1 legal framework Recommendation 2 trade confirmation and settlement matching Recommendation 3 settlement cycles and operating times Recommendation 4 central counterparties (CCPs) Recommendation 5 securities lending Recommendation 6 central securities depositories (CSDs) Recommendation 7 Delivery-versus-Payment (DvP) Recommendation 8 timing of settlement finality Recommendation 9 csd risk controls to address participants' failure to settle Recommendation 10 cash settlement assets Recommendation 11 operational risk Recommendation 12 protection of customers' securities Recommendation 13 governance Recommendation 14 access Recommendation 15 efficiency Recommendation 16 standard communication procedures, messaging standards and straight-through processing (STP) Recommendation 17 transparency Recommendation 18 regulation, supervision and oversight Recommendation 19 risks in cross-system links or interoperable systems 69 4 Sources... 71

3 3 1 Introduction Securities settlement systems are critical financial infrastructures. Securities worth billions are transferred between parties on a daily basis. Individuals, firms and others seek to invest savings, hedge risks and make payments. Financial institutions use securities for liquidity and risk management purposes. Lenders require securities as collateral when granting credit. The latter applies e.g. when financial institutions borrow from Danmarks Nationalbank. Safe settlement of securities trades and safe holding of securities are important in connection with all these functions. A safe securities settlement system thus contributes to financial stability. Danmarks Nationalbank is responsible for overseeing systemically important payment and settlement systems in Denmark. Danmarks Nationalbank's oversight duties include assessing the systems against international standards and recommendations. The securities settlement system operated by VP Securities (henceforth VP) is one of three systems 1 in the Danish payments infrastructure that are systemically important and should therefore meet such standards. The purpose of this report is to assess VP's securities settlement system according to international recommendations for securities settlement systems. 1.1 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SECURITIES SETTLEMENT SYSTEMS In May 2009, ESCB, the European System of Central Banks, and CESR, the Committee of European Securities Regulators, issued 19 recommendations (the Recommendations) for securities settlement systems 2. This assessment report assesses the securities settlement system operated by VP against these Recommendations. The aim of the Recommendations is to provide a competitive, efficient and safe European infrastructure for securities trading. They will thus contribute to ensuring investor protection, increasing confidence in the financial markets and reducing systemic risks. The Recommendations are addressed to public authorities and not to system owners. As a result, the authorities must encourage and oversee 1 The other two are Kronos, i.e. Danmarks Nationalbank's RTGS system, and the Sumclearing, i.e. the Danish system for clearing and settlement of retail payments. 2 Recommendations for Securities Settlement Systems and Recommendations for Central Counterparties in the European Union. CESR has since changed its name to ESMA, and the report is available at ESMA's website:

4 4 observance of the Recommendations. However, the ESCB/CESR report emphasises that the ultimate responsibility for providing safe and efficient systems rests with the system owners. The VP settlement system was last assessed according to the CPSS/IOSCO Recommendations, which were published in The ESCB/CESR Recommendations are based on and have many features in common with the CPSS/IOSCO Recommendations. The principal difference between the two sets of standards is that the ESCB/CESR Recommendations have been adapted to a European context and as a result, in some cases, impose stricter requirements on the systems. 1.2 THE ROLES OF THE DANISH FINANCIAL SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY AND DANMARKS NATIONALBANK VP is authorised to operate as a central securities depository, CSD, and a clearing centre pursuant to the Danish Securities Trading Act 2 (the Securities Trading Act). Central securities depository and clearing centre activities can be carried out separately or in one company. VP operates as a clearing centre and CSD in one. The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority supervises VP in order to ensure that the latter complies with the Securities Trading Act and rules issued pursuant to the Act. Danmarks Nationalbank's overall role in relation to payment and settlement systems is defined in section 1 of the Danmarks Nationalbank Act, which states that the objective of Danmarks Nationalbank is to "maintain a safe and secure currency system in Denmark, and to facilitate and regulate the traffic in money and the extension of credit". Danmarks Nationalbank's role as overseer stems from this provision. Moreover, in 2006, Danmarks Nationalbank's responsibility for oversight of payment systems was laid down in the Securities Trading Act. According to section 86(2) of the Act, Danmarks Nationalbank shall oversee systemically important payment systems. The securities settlement system is not a payment system in the sense of the Act. However, it is evident from the explanatory notes that such oversight corresponds to Danmarks Nationalbank's existing oversight of clearing centres and CSDs. Moreover, it appears from a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, from 2006 between Danmarks Nationalbank and the Danish Fi- 1 The Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems, CPSS, is a committee under the Bank for International Settlements, BIS. The International Organization of Securities Commissions, IOSCO, is an international collaboration between authorities overseeing the securities markets. 2 Consolidated Act No. 883 of 9 August 2011.

5 5 nancial Supervisory Authority that Danmarks Nationalbank is responsible for overseeing the securities settlement system. 1 The securities settlement system is systemically important. It is central to banks' liquidity management activities, e.g. by affecting their access to credit from Danmarks Nationalbank and thus their ability to settle of payments. Payments for securities trades are settled via accounts at Danmarks Nationalbank, so Danmarks Nationalbank and VP have concluded an agreement on the terms and conditions for cash settlement. According to this agreement, VP must comply with the general requirements which Danmarks Nationalbank may impose on the VP clearing and settlement system. At the same time, monetary policy transactions are indirectly dependent on VP, since securities held in custody at VP are normally required as collateral for loans from Danmarks Nationalbank. It is therefore necessary to ensure e.g. a sound legal basis for pledging of VP collateral in order to protect Danmarks Nationalbank from credit risk. In practice, in its role as overseer Danmarks Nationalbank assesses the systems' compliance with international standards. Furthermore, the oversight also implies initiating changes to the systems if deemed necessary. The assessment against international standards is related to this, since non-compliance will normally motivate to changes to the systems. The scope and content of Danmarks Nationalbank's role as overseer are described in more detail in Financial stability (2007). 1.3 STRUCTURE, DELINEATION AND METHODOLOGY The 19 Recommendations of the ESCB/CESR report constitute the basis for this assessment report. For each Recommendation, the report gives a short summary of the standard, a review of the VP settlement in relation to the Recommendation and finally an overall assessment of the degree to which the Recommendation is observed. For the individual Recommendations, the conclusion may be that they are observed to some degree or other. Five categories are used in the assessment against a Recommendation: observed, broadly observed, partly observed, non-observed or not applicable. The categories are not precisely defined. For each standard, various aspects are emphasised in the assessment of observance of the Recommendation in question. These aspects are highlighted in the Annex to the ESCB/CESR report, which contains guidelines for assessment of a system's observance of the Recommendations. However, the ESCB/CESR report makes clear that the guidelines should not be followed mechanically. For instance, the system owner 1 The MoU is available to the public at Danmarks Nationalbank's website.

6 6 may have addressed a risk in a different (and satisfactory) way relative to what is envisaged in the standards. Any special circumstances of the VP system that are not addressed directly in the standards have thus also been considered. General knowledge of the VP settlement system is assumed in the sections on the Recommendations. The key elements of the VP settlement system and its role in the financial infrastructure are therefore described in section 2 of this report. 1 This report distinguishes between the VP settlement system and VP Securities as a firm. The VP settlement system is the main subject of the report. The focus is on settlement, holding of securities and other issues discussed in the Recommendations. VP has business areas that are beyond the scope of the Recommendations, and so they are not considered in the report. VP's finances are treated only briefly, since this subject is not directly comprised by the Recommendations. 2 The report is based on several sources. The Annex to the ESCB/CESR report contains questions related to each standard. VP has answered these questions, and VP s responses are one of the primary sources. VP's guidelines, especially the clearing rules, as well as the Securities Trading Act, are also important sources. Finally, VP Securities and Danmarks Nationalbank have discussed the Recommendations on several occasions. 1.4 SUMMARY VP generally observes the ESCB/CESR Recommendations. Table 1 gives an overview of the Recommendations. 18 of the 19 Recommendations are observed and one is broadly observed. This is Recommendation 3 on operating hours. In several other cases, VP observes the Recommendations, but there are nonetheless comments related to the assessment. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS Table 1 Recommendation Recommendation 1 legal framework Recommendation 2 trade confirmation and settlement matching Recommendation 3 settlement cycles and operating times Recommendation 4 central counterparties Recommendation 5 securities lending Conclusion Observed Observed* Broadly observed Observed* Observed 1 Reading of this report requires knowledge of a number of technical terms: clearing, settlement, etc. These are defined and explained in Danmarks Nationalbank (2005), Payment systems in Denmark. 2 CPSS/IOSCO is working on a new set of principles for financial market infrastructures, cf. section 2.7. The new principles include the financial situation of infrastructures.

7 7 Recommendation 6 central securities depositories Recommendation 7 Delivery-versus-Payment (DvP) Recommendation 8 timing of settlement finality Recommendation 9 controls to protect settlement Recommendation 10 cash settlement assets Recommendation 11 operational risk Recommendation 12 protection of customers' securities Recommendation 13 governance Recommendation 14 access Recommendation 15 efficiency Recommendation 16 communication procedures Recommendation 17 transparency Recommendation 18 regulation, supervision and oversight Recommendation 19 risks in links Observed Observed Observed Observed* Observed Observed Observed Observed Observed Observed Observed Observed Observed Observed * The Recommendation is observed, but with elaborating comments. Comments on selected Recommendations are summarised below: Recommendation 2 Confirmation of trades (matching) should occur as soon as possible after trade execution. In VP, more than 90 per cent of the trades are matched on the trade date and more than 98 per cent on the following day. Failure to match trades immediately is most likely due to indirect, foreignbased participants who take longer to report trades. The benchmark for when to report trades is higher for trades between direct participants than for trades with indirect participants. VP's data does not allow one to determine the causes of late reporting. This means that there are no aggregate figures for trades with and without indirect participants, respectively, so it is not possible to determine whether VP meets the separate international benchmarks for direct and indirect participants. It would be useful for VP to improve its data, and not just for this purpose. As described in the assessment of VP against Recommendation 9, having more data for analytical purposes and having the systems and capability to analyse such data would confer other advantages. VP has pointed out that the costs of improving its data and ability to analyse such data could outweigh the benefits. It is recommended that VP further analyse the possibilities of improving its data and analytic capabilities, and evaluate the costs and benefits of doing so. Recommendation 3

8 8 According to Recommendation 3, a CSD should be open at least during the operating hours of the payment system where cash settlement in the relevant currency takes place. VP meets this Recommendation for kroner, but not for euro, since there are Target2 operating days when settlement does not take place in VP's system. According to VP, this is because its participants have not wanted VP to be open on those days so far. At present, settlement in euro accounts for a minor share of total settlement, and the assessment is that there are no significant risks associated with the VP system not being open on the days in question. However, in view of the increased integration of the European securities markets, it is recommended that settlement in euro be introduced on all Target2 operating days. VP's plan to introduce settlement in euro on all Target2 operating days as part of the introduction of Target2-Securities is welcomed. Furthermore, although the overall VP settlement ratio meets international benchmarks, the settlement ratio for shares should be higher, and it has not improved as a result of the introduction of a central counterparty, CCP, in the share market. One reason is failure to adjust the incentives for timely settlement to a market with a CCP. In cooperation with the market participants, VP has prepared a new incentive structure for the settlement system, which is being phased in. Ongoing monitoring of the settlement ratio for shares and evaluation of the effects of the new incentive structure are recommended. Recommendation 9 The assessment of VP's observance of Recommendation 9 included a number of stress tests of the settlement procedure. One difficulty in this regard has been that historical data is not readily available for analysis. Consequently, it was not possible to analyse a number of interesting "what if"-scenarios. As mentioned above (see Recommendation 2), it is therefore recommended that VP examines the possibilities for improving its data in order to permit analysis of such scenarios. A more complete data basis would also enable VP to examine other interesting issues, such as the implications of changing the settlement procedure. It should also be noted that CPSS/IOSCO are working on new principles for financial market infrastructures, cf. section 2.7. With effect from 2013, the new principles are expected to strengthen the requirements for transparency in the treatment of company failures. When the final version of the new principles is published, it is recommended that VP examine whether the current documentation (e.g. the clearing rules) satisfy the principles.

9 9 2 Description of the VP system and the market infrastructure VP undertakes important functions in the Danish securities trading infrastructure: registration of ownership of securities, settlement of securities trades, handling of corporate actions, etc. The vast majority of trades in Danish shares, bonds and investment fund shares are settled in the VP system. Securities settlement means final transfer of securities. Numerous individuals and institutions have securities in custody at VP. At end- 2010, VP had 3.6 million custody accounts with 2.2 million account holders. 1 VP and its settlement system are described in the following, starting with the role of the VP clearing and settlement activities in the Danish securities market infrastructure. 2.1 VP SECURITIES A/S Today, VP Securities A/S is a limited liability company owned by various participants in the Danish securities market. The distribution of VP ownership is as follows: banks and stockbroking companies own 32 per cent, bond issuing companies own 28 per cent, Danmarks Nationalbank owns 24 per cent, share issuers own 8 per cent and institutional investors own 8 per cent. The relations between shareholders are regulated by a shareholder agreement. VP was established in 1980 and in 1983 commenced book entry registration and settlement of dematerialised bonds. In 1988 shares were added. All Danish securities listed on Nasdaq OMX Nordic are now issued in book-entry form only, and they are registered and settled electronically at a CSD, which is VP fordanish shares, investment fund shares and bonds. VP had a monopoly as securities depository until 1995, when the Securities Trading Act was adopted and the monopoly ceased. However, VP is still the only company that is authorised to operate as a CSD in Denmark. In 2008, VP established a subsidiary, VP Lux, which operates as a CSD in Luxembourg but uses VP s systems and is operationally managed from 1 Cf. VP Annual Report 2010.

10 10 Denmark. Danish banks and mortgage banks have issued a number of Danish mortgage bonds denominated in euro through VP Lux. VP Lux is overseen by Banque Centrale du Luxembourg, which is planning to prepare a separate assessment report on VP Lux. A CSD must have some capital resources. Pursuant to section 82 of the Securities Trading Act, they must amount to at least kr. 1 billion in the form of commitments from participants. In practice, this requirement is met by the account controllers in VP, i.e. the institutions that manage securities accounts on behalf of third parties, who contribute to the total capital resources by making such commitments. VP has posted profits for a number of years, and most of VP's balance sheet is equity financed. In the financial year 2011, VP's profit before tax was kr million. Equity 1 accounted for kr million of the balance-sheet total of kr million. 2.2 THE VP SYSTEM AND ITS PARTICIPANTS VP's activities can be divided into two core areas: issuance and depository services and clearing and settlement. This is reflected in the various forms of participation offered in the VP system. There are 147 participants 2 in the VP system. A participant may be connected as an account controller or clearing participant or both. The account controllers participate in VP's issuance and depository business. They may, for instance, create custody accounts at VP for themselves or others or may be issue administrators. Other customers must rely on another institution as account controller. Clearing participants participate in VP's clearing and settlement activities and may be settlement or payment administrators. Settlement administrators may report trades on their own behalf and possibly on behalf of others if they are also account controllers. Payment administrators are connected as primary cash providers and guarantee the payment in connection with settlement. Settlement administrators who are not payment administrators must be connected to a primary cash provider. The relationship between VP and the participants is regulated by a general participation agreement and sub-agreements depending on the participant's function. Account controllers, for instance, are subject to a special agreement. 1 Including a non-distributable reserve. 2 As at 25 May 2011, according to the VP website. However, this figure seems to overestimate the actual number of participants since some participants appear twice on the VP list.

11 THE SECURITIES MARKET AND INFRASTRUCTURE VP is part of a larger market infrastructure. Before securities are settled in VP, they are traded e.g. on a stock exchange, an alternative trading platform or over the counter, OTC. Clearing is the process that takes place between trading and settlement. It includes a number of processes such as trade reporting, matching of terms, etc. The Danish securities market is mainly a market for shares, investment fund shares and bonds. These are the main asset types registered and issued in VP, and they are typically also listed on the stock exchange Nasdaq OMX Nordic. VP may also register other types of securities, e.g. unlisted shares. Table 2 shows selected key figures for VP for the year ISSUES IN VP Table 2 No. of issued series, yearend Market value, kr. billion, year-end Transactions per day Turnover per day, kr. billion Bonds 2,392 4,151 3, Shares and investment fund shares 1,163 1,899 39, Note: Figures for transactions and turnover have been rounded. Turnover is given as the market value of the securities which have been moved between custody accounts. Source: VP, Annual Report Shares and investment fund shares account for the largest numbers of transactions, but in value terms, the bond market is much larger. Most of the bonds are mortgage bonds, including covered bonds (SDOs) and covered mortgage bonds (SDROs), and Denmark has a large mortgagebond market, even by international standards. The bond market is mainly an OTC market, i.e. the bonds are not traded on e.g. stock exchanges but directly among counterparties. The generally stable and substantial turnover is particularly high around the auctions of new bonds for refinancing of adjustable-rate loans. The largest auctions take place in November and December, with sales of new bonds for up to kr. 600 billion. These transactions are typically settled on the first banking day of the year, which is the largest settlement day of the year. But the auctions have now been distributed on several quarters. There is also a liquid market for Danish government securities. Government securities are traded on several trading platforms, including in

12 12 particular MTS Denmark, where a group of primary dealers act as market makers. 1 Danish shares are predominantly traded on Nasdaq OMX Copenhagen with daily trading volumes of around kr. 2.8 billion. 2 After the implementation of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, MiFID, more alternative trading platforms, or multilateral trading facilities, have now been added, accounting for part of the trading in shares. A number of derivatives are also traded on Nasdaq OMX, but they are traded and cleared in Sweden. The stock market infrastructure changed in the autumn of 2009, when a central counterparty, EMCF, entered the Nordic markets. Since then, trades in large-cap have been cleared via the central counterparty. More central counterparties have entered the Danish market in TRADING SYSTEMS AND REPORTING TO VP The first step after trade execution is reporting. For settlement in VP, a securities trade must be reported to VP by both the buyer and the seller shortly after execution. In a system such as MTS Denmark, trades are reported automatically by the system for both parties. Trades can be reported for settlement in one of the net settlement batches or, subject to certain conditions, for gross settlement (real-time settlement). Not all participants have the same rights. For example, private investors who are not settlement administrators may not report trades. The reporting consists of several elements. First, the participants must submit a preadvice, and matching takes place afterwards. Matching means checking the consistency of the data reported by the buyer and seller, including amounts and settlement time. The parties may opt for any settlement date from the trading day, T+0, to T+365. The market practice is T+3 for most securities. If the submitted trades are matched, VP makes output data available to the parties and any other central participants in the settlement of the trade in question. Then the parties to the trade must send an instruct authorising settlement of the trade. The preadvice and the instruct may be submitted together, which is the case e.g. for trading on MTS Denmark. Much of the process will often be automated via straight-throughprocessing, STP. For example, VP offers a system, vp.trade STP, which can automatically create and submit preadvice notices for trades on the 1 The government debt market is described in more detail at Danmarks Nationalbank's website under "Government debt". 2 Cf. Nasdaq OMX 2010 statistics.

13 13 Nasdaq OMX trading systems or the Burgundy 1 trading platform. STP will also typically be used for OTC trades. The process for trades via a CCP is slightly different in that reporting is not on an individual trade basis. Instead, each participant compiles its net position vis-à-vis the CCP in each traded large-cap share and submits a net report. 2.5 SETTLEMENT PROCEDURE After a trade has been matched and instructed by both parties to the trade, it is ready for settlement. Most trades are settled in net settlement batches. Trades are netted multilaterally before a settlement batch: The system calculates the participants' net purchases or sales of each security and their total net payment obligation, followed by transfers of securities and cash. This settlement model is called the BIS DvP model 3 (after a BIS report describing various settlement models, among other things 2 ). A characteristic feature of the BIS DvP model 3 is that both settlement of securities trades and the related payments take place on a net basis. DvP stands for Delivery-versus-Payment, meaning simultaneous payment and transfer of securities. VP's 24-hour settlement period begins at 6:00 p.m. and ends just before 6:00 p.m. on the following banking day. During each 24-hour settlement period, VP conducts six net settlement batches for securities trades with legal effect from the following times: 6:00 p.m., 00:35 a.m., 06:00 a.m., 10:15 a.m., 12:00 noon and 1:35 p.m. Trades can also be settled on a gross basis between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Gross settlement is also known as the BIS DvP model 1. In the first three batches, transactions in both Danish kroner and euro are settled, while the fourth and fifth batches are in kroner only and the last batch in euro only. Chart 1 outlines the 24-hour settlement period. The first three settlement batches are placed around two settlement batches in Euroclear, and international CSD. The purpose is to create an efficient link between VP and Euroclear. For example, a foreign participant who is a member of Euroclear may buy VP-registered securities in the first Euroclear batch and sell them to a Danish participant already in the next VP batch. Links are discussed in more detail in section 3.19 on Recommendation 19. The convention among clearing participants is that trades are settled in batch 10, in accordance with the VP clearing rules. This is most often 1 Burgundy is a multilateral trading facility. 2 Described in BIS Papers No. 30 on "Clearing, settlement and depository issues".

14 14 also the actual practice. Chart 2 shows average daily net payments for securities in the batches involving settlement in kroner. THE 24-HOUR SETTLEMENT PERIOD IN VP Chart 1 EB1 EB2 Real-time settlement (8:00 am 3:00 pm) VP10, VP 14 (subscription) VP20 VP30 VP40 VP60 VP50 (6:00 pm) (0:35 am) (6:00 am) (10:15 am) (noon) (1:35 pm) 4:00 pm 6:00 pm 8:00 pm 10:00 pm Midnight 2:00 am 4:00 am 6:00 am 8:00 am 10:00 am Noon 2:00 pm 4:00 pm 6:00 pm VP05 (4:45 pm) VP35 VP33 VP45 (9:15 am) (9:20 am) (12:05 pm) VP10, VP20 og VP30: Settlement of trades in kroner and euro VP40 og VP60: Settlement of trades in kroner VP50: Settlement of trades in euro EB1 og EB2: Settlement at Euroclear Bank VP05 og VP35: Settlement of periodic payments in kroner VP45: Settlement of periodic payments in euro VP33: Settlement of euros against kroner (Payment versus Payment) SETTLEMENT BATCHES Chart 2 kr. billions VP10 VP20 VP30 VP40 VP60 Note: The Chart shows the average net daily payments at Danmarks Nationalbank for securities in each of the five trade settlement batches involving kroner. Source: Own calculations.

15 15 Besides settlement of trades, the VP system also comprises settlement of periodic payments such as interest and dividends. This takes place in VP35 (9:15 a.m.) and VP45 (12:05 p.m.) with settlement of periodic payments in kroner and euro, respectively. Periodic payments related to government bonds are settled in VP05 (4:45 p.m.). VP also provides for settlement of periodic payments in Swedish kronor and Icelandic kroner. The reason is that VP has links to the Swedish and Icelandic CSDs, Euroclear Sweden and VS, as VP must distribute periodic payments to VP investors holding Swedish and Icelandic securities via the link. In VP's subsidiary, VP Lux, periodic payments are settled at 11:05 a.m. in VP Lux's only settlement batch, but during the 24-hour settlement period it is possible to transfer securities both with (DvP) and without (FoP, see the explanation in the next section) payment. Securities held at VP Lux may also be transferred to other CSDs, including VP and Clearstream, via links. In the morning, a special Payment-versus-Payment settlement batch is completed, batch 33 or the PvP batch, in which kroner are swapped for euro. Payment for the trades in euro is initially effected in kroner during the night-time settlement batches, but in the PvP batch euros are then exchanged for kroner, so the net result is settlement in euro. This model is necessary because Denmark is not a euro area member state and thus has no access to night-time euro liquidity. In addition, settlement involving central counterparties is subject to special rules, since partial settlement may take place in VP40. A central counterparty is basically an intermediary who does not take any positions. Its purchases of securities are exactly offset by its sales. If the central counterparty does not receive purchased securities in a timely manner, it cannot deliver them in the next step. This has prompted the introduction of partial settlement. As a result, the central counterparty can deliver received securities even if this does not fully meet the payment obligation CASH SETTLEMENT AND DELIVERY VERSUS PAYMENT Securities transactions usually entail both transfer of securities and cash (as payment for the securities). Free-of-Payment transactions, FoP, are used for e.g. transfer of securities from one party to another without payment, in connection with pledging of collateral or for other pur- 1 If, for instance a given ISIN involves three sellers and one buyer, and one seller fails to deliver, the CCP may still deliver the securities from the other two sellers.

16 16 poses. The securities settlement takes place in VP, while the cash settlement takes place at VP settlement accounts at Danmarks Nationalbank. Danmarks Nationalbank's systems communicate with VP for settlement purposes. In order to complete a settlement batch, the participants must deliver securities and pay for the deliveries. VP performs a holding check to ensure that the participants on a net basis have the securities to be delivered. A cash check is also performed. Prior to the commencement of a settlement batch, Danmarks Nationalbank notifies VP of the balances of the participants' settlement accounts, including the autocollateralisation account, cf. Box 1. A limit is thus set for the participant's line, and in the notification, Danmarks Nationalbank guarantees VP that Danmarks Nationalbank will register payments within the line. At the end of a settlement batch, VP notifies Danmarks Nationalbank of the net amounts of liquidity to be settled, and Danmarks Nationalbank debits/credits the participants' settlement accounts, while VP debits/credits the relevant securities accounts. Securities settlement and cash settlement thus occur simultaneously. When the transfers have been completed, the settlement is final and the registration has legal effect for all trades and is regarded as completed at the times when the batches take legal effect. This model, with ongoing communication between the securities settlement system and the payment system, is generally known as an interfaced model. This is in contrast to an integrated model with the cash accounts integrated into the securities settlement system. The participants need liquidity to pay for their purchases of securities. Danmarks Nationalbank's monetary-policy day starts at 4:00 p.m., and between 4:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. the participants may transfer funds from their current accounts to their VP settlement accounts with a view to night-time settlement of trades. The participants may obtain liquidity by obtaining intraday loans from Danmarks Nationalbank. Within the 24-hour period, Danmarks Nationalbank grants unlimited, non-interest-bearing credit against pledging of sufficient collateral. 1 This can take place as a traditional pledge of securities or using VP s auto-collateralisation scheme (called Sikkerhedsretten ), cf. Box 1. When using auto-collateralisation, the participants need not make any transfers between 4:00 and 4:30 p.m. If they buy securities, their auto-collateralisation account is automatically debited (i.e. they obtain intraday credit) for as long as there is sufficient collateral in the account. 1 Danmarks Nationalbank's collateralisation rules are described in Poffet (2010).

17 17 AUTO-COLLATERALISATION Box 1 Auto-collateralisation can be used to obtain intraday credit in Danish kroner from Danmarks Nationalbank. Under the auto-collateralisation scheme, account holders pledge collateral in the form of securities in one or more appointed custody accounts at VP, typically their trading accounts. Auto-collateralisation is a more flexible credit arrangement than traditional pledging of collateral. Unlike traditional pledging of collateral, auto-collateralisation does not bind specific assets in a custody account. Instead, part of the value of the account holder's securities less a haircut is pledged to Danmarks Nationalbank corresponding to the credit extended. The account holder is free to dispose of the securities in the custody account, provided that the total value of the account exceeds the total credit under the auto-collateralisation arrangement. Another feature of auto-collateralisation is that securities purchased can be used as collateral for intraday credit already in the settlement batch in which they are received. Traditionally, securities cannot be used as collateral for intraday credit until later settlement batches. Auto-collateralisation binds fewer securities on settlement of securities trades than traditional pledging of collateral. An account holder wishing to make use of auto-collateralisation must conclude an agreement and open an auto-collateralisation account in Danish kroner. Credit extended under the auto-collateralisation arrangement is debited to the autocollateralisation account, while reductions are credited to the account. The balance of the auto-collateralisation account thus reflects Danmarks Nationalbank's collateral in the account holder's assets. VP administers the collateral in the custody accounts on behalf of Danmarks Nationalbank. Danmarks Nationalbank notifies VP of the securities that can be pledged under the automatic collateralisation arrangement. In principle, Danmarks Nationalbank accepts the same securities as for traditional pledging of collateral. Credit under the auto-collateralisation arrangement must now be repaid by 1:30 p.m. on the same monetary-policy day. Any outstanding loan at 1:30 p.m. will automatically be sought to be covered by transferring an amount from the account holder's current account to the auto-collateralisation account. If there are insufficient funds in the current account, Danmarks Nationalbank requests VP to transfer securities with a total collateral value matching the value of the outstanding credit from the account holder's auto-collateralisation account to an account held by Danmarks Nationalbank. 1 Adapted from Box 5.3 in Danmarks Nationalbank (2005). VP settlement in Danish kroner involves several accounts. Each participant has one account at Danmarks Nationalbank for settlement of trades (i.e. batches 10, 20, 30, 40 and 60), one account for PvP settlement (batch 33) and one for settlement of periodic payments (batch 35). The also has a current account and may have an auto-collateralisation account. Gross, real-time transactions are settled via the current account. As regards settlement in euro, PvP settlement (batch 33), periodic payments (batch 45) and trades (batch 50) are settled via the same Target2

18 18 settlement account. Moreover, each participant has a settlement account for VP Lux (batch 45) and an account in Target2. The autocollateralisation account at Danmarks Nationalbank cannot be used for settlement in euro or PvP settlement (in Danish kroner or euro). In practice, the participants most often pay for their purchased securities by drawing on the auto-collateralisation account. In 2010, 82 per cent of all payments in the settlement of trades were effected in this way. Another interesting aspect of the settlement is its distribution over the year, cf. Chart 3. Settlement is notably larger around the turn of the year than on other days, and it is also substantial around the end of the quarters. This implies that any system problems will have more serious consequences at these times. This distribution is related to the pattern in the mortgage bond market. Especially in recent years, many homeowners have raised adjustable-rate loans requiring (typically annual) refinancing by sale of new bonds. Most of these transactions are settled around the turn of the year. In future, the mortgage bond issuers will seek to spread the refinancing across the year to a greater extent. VOLUME OF TRADE SETTLEMENT IN 2010 Chart 3 kr. billion Note The Chart shows the net amounts exchanged by the VP settlement participants in trading batches 10, 20, 30, 40 and 60. Source: Own calculations.

19 TARGET2-SECURITIES, EUROPEAN LEGISLATION AND NEW RECOMMENDATIONS Looking ahead, several factors are likely to impact securities settlement in Denmark. VP has announced its intention to join Target2-Securities, T2S, which is a pan-european securities settlement system that can process cross-border securities transactions as efficiently as domestic transactions. In a number of years, when T2S is up and running, securities settlement in Denmark will predominantly take place on the T2S platform. The European Commission is working on European regulation of CSDs with a view to harmonising the rules for CSDs and settlement practices across the member states. In future, a substantial part of the international recommendations will presumably be translated into statutory requirements. At the same time, CPSS and IOSCO are planning to prepare new principles (standards) for financial market infrastructures. This will include payment and securities settlement systems, CSDs, CCPs and trade repositories. In March 2011, CPSS and IOSCO published their proposals for new principles in a consultation paper. Among other things, the new principles entail increased focus on general business risks and the risks of indirect participation. The principles also entail stricter requirements for rules and procedures for management of insolvency. Moreover, the principles will include requirements for equity size and holdings of liquid assets in the market infrastructures. According to the plan, the principles will be finalised in 2012 and take effect in 2013.

20 20 3 Assessment of the VP settlement system according to the 19 Recommendations In this section, the VP settlement system is assessed in relation to each of the 19 Recommendations in the ESCB/CESR report. Each section on the individual Recommendations begins with an outline of the Recommendation, followed by the actual review, including an assessment of the issues related to the Recommendation. A conclusion on the observance of the Recommendation is then given. The assessment is based on the previously mentioned assessment methodology described in the Annex to the ESCB/CESR report. The content of the various Recommendations will overlap to a certain extent. A case in point is the discussion of the same issues in Recommendations 6 and 12 on central securities depositories and investor protection, respectively. Several elements of the review of the Recommendation on the legal framework are also reflected in other Recommendations. In the one case where the VP settlement system is not found to observe a Recommendation fully, an explanation is given. In certain cases special comments are made even though the Recommendation is observed. For instance, this is the case if there are other circumstances of interest which are related to, but not directly addressed in, the Recommendation. A case in point is Recommendation 4 about central counterparties. All of the requirements of the Recommendation are met as such, but in practice settlement problems have arisen after the introduction of the CCP, which is commented on. The review of each Recommendation concludes with an outline of the documentation behind the review.